English Department Portfolio
What is the purpose for portfolio?
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Your portfolios will help to serve as a self-assessment tool for the department. We have a
mission statement and goals we hope to accomplish, but up to this point, we haven't had clear
ways to assess whether we are fulfilling these goals. The portfolios will give us some detailed,
tangible feedback.
We also want the portfolios to serve you. Often faculty in the department get requests for
recommendations from people who graduated two, five, ten, or even twenty years ago. Effective
recommendations need to be specific and focused, and it can be difficult to remember specifics
as time passes. The portfolio will serve as a partial record of your time as an English major and
will help us to write detailed recommendations for you in years to come.
What is the deadline?
All English majors will submit a paper copy and an electronic copy of their portfolio at the end of their
senior seminar. Your portfolio will be due as part of your senior seminar requirements. Progress on
portfolios should be discussed with your advisers.
If you complete your senior seminar in the fall of your senior year, you may make changes or additions
to your portfolio prior to May 1st.
How should I submit my Portfolio?
1. You will purchase the Portfolio Folders in the English Department ($4 to cover the cost). The
Folder includes a CD and tabs for organizing the contents.
2. Print a paper copy of each tabbed item in the folder, and check off each included item on the
cover checklist.
3. Copy all of the required files to the CD. Include the CD with the Portfolio Folder.
What should I include in my Portfolio?
When you purchase your Portfolio Folder from the English Department, you will receive a checklist of
items to include in the portfolio
What forms should I complete online?
Complete the following forms online so that you have electronic versions to burn to the Portfolio CD:
1. Checklist of Course
2. Cover Letter for Papers
3. Extracurricular Activities
4. Senior Questionnaire
5. The Writing and Teaching Concentrations have additional forms
Print the completed forms for your Portfolio Folder, and burn the electronic versions to your CD.
The online forms are at http://www.wheaton.edu/english/majors/portfolio/.
How do I burn the portfolio to a CD?
If you do not have a CD burner, please see the attached instructions for burning a CD at the Buswell
Computer Lab.